What Might Have Been
by goblz
Summary: Vignetteish fic about Shawn and Belle hooking up and their relationship afterwards. Takes place before they ever hooked up.
1. Part One

**Part One**

"Shawn, no!" Belle screamed after Shawn as he ran into the burning building. She watched in horror as he entered the flaming building. She wondered whether or not she should go in after him.

The two had plans to meet up at the Brady pub with Philip to study for a test, and had both come across the restaurant on fire. The fire didn't consume the entire restaurant, but the second floor of the building was almost completely consumed, and Belle could see through the first floor windows the smoke that filled the restaurant. A crowd had gathered, many of whom were customers who had run out, and sirens could be heard in the distance. But Shawn's grandparents, owners of the pub who lived above it, and his infant brother, JT, were still inside.

Belle paced for a few minutes, on the verge of panicking. Idly she wondered where Philip was; she looked for him in the crowd but didn't see him. _Maybe he's in the fire, too,_ Belle thought. Breathing heavily, she looked back at the fire. The firefighters were only just starting to arrive. She knew it probably wasn't smart, but finally she decided to go inside and see if she could be any help. She made towards the door but a fireman grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you can't go in there."

"My best friend and his family are in there!" she shrieked. "And I think one of my other friends is in there, too."

"We'll find them, all right? You stay out here, your friends don't need you putting yourself in danger." He joined the other firemen approaching the door.

She nodded solemnly. "Okay," she whispered, wanting to believe it. She watched the firemen enter the restaurant and resumed her pacing. After a few minutes, Bo and Hope ran up behind her.

"Belle!" Hope exclaimed. "Where's Shawn?"

"Have you seen my parents or JT?" Bo added, his arm around Hope's shoulder.

"They're all inside," Belle told them miserably, on the verge of tears.

"Oh God," Hope muttered, her breath catching.

Philip came out just then, escorted by a fireman. He was coughing and his clothes were filled with ash. Belle, Bo and Hope rushed over to him as a paramedic put on an oxygen mask.

He took a few breaths with the oxygen and then removed the mask to talk to the three, who were looking at him anxiously. "I don't know how the fire started," he explained, his voice hoarse. "I couldn't find them." He coughed harshly and looked around. "Where's Shawn, Belle? Weren't you guys coming together?"

Belle wanted to kick him. For months know she'd been avoiding telling Shawn that she liked him as more than a friend, and Philip knew it. He was always making insinuations about them, as a joke, and even though she knew he hadn't meant it that way now she didn't want to deal with it now.

The four waited nervously together; Philip refused to go to the hospital, insisting he was fine. No more than ten minutes later, another fireman came out carrying JT. "I need some paramedics!" he yelled as Hope and Bo ran up to him.

"What's going on?" Hope cried out. "Is he all right?" The paramedics crowded around the baby and Hope was ignored.

"There's two adults coming out who will need oxygen! They were trying to reach the baby. There's a teenaged boy unconscious up there still," the fireman continued. "He got hit by a falling beam, but he saved this little guy."

"Shawn," Belle whispered in horror. Philip squeezed her shoulder. Bo barked at some people to get Shawn out of there. Some fireman and paramedics with a gurney ran back into the pub as PopShawn and Caroline walked out. They looked relieved to see JT was okay.

Belle hardly listened as Caroline explained that Shawn was the one who found JT. She watched Bo's parents step into an ambulance and a paramedic joined them with JT. The poor baby was screaming his lungs out.

Hope decided to go along in the ambulance with him. "I'll see you at the hospital," she told Bo as she gave him a quick kiss. "Pray for both of our sons."

After a couple more minutes, Bo, Philip and Belle waited side by side, Shawn was brought out. He had an oxygen mask and a neck brace on and was still unconscious. As the paramedics loaded him into the car, Philip decided to ride with him, and the paramedics treated him as a victim too and forced him to sit on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on. Belle and Bo were told that only one of them could ride in the ambulance.

"You get in," Bo told her. "I have a car. I'll see you soon!" With that, he dashed to his car.

Belle climbed into the ambulance and sat aside as the ambulance pulled away, and the paramedics were busy working on Shawn. Her throat got caught and she just barely was able to muffle a cry as she looked at Shawn on the gurney.

Belle walked into the hospital right behind the gurney carrying Shawn, Philip next to her. The doctors whisked him away. Philip and Belle met up with Hope in the waiting room.

"How's JT?" Belle asked as she and Hope hugged.

"I don't know. He's been screaming, which I think is a good sign. Where's Bo?"

"He's driving the car over here because only one of us could ride in the ambulance."

Hope nodded. She saw Bo run in and the two hugged. "How are they?" Bo asked.

"I don't know," Hope answered with tears in her eyes. "Shawn just got here, and the doctors haven't come out with news on JT yet."

Belle sat down on the couch. She looked up to the ceiling, thinking about Shawn. Then she clasped her hands, bowed her head and prayed. "Dear, Lord, please let Shawn and JT both be okay. I promise if Shawn is okay, I'll tell him how I feel. I won't act like a scared wimp worrying about if he feels the same way or not. Just let him be okay."


	2. Part Two

Part Two  
  
Belle sat on the couch in the waiting room fidgeting. In front of her, Hope and Bo paced, wondering what was taking so long.  
  
"Stop, you're making me nervous," Belle told them.  
  
"Why haven't we heard anything?"  
  
"We've only been here for 15 minutes, Hope," Belle softly reminded her.  
  
"I thought we would have at least heard about JT by now," Hope said. "What if he's worse off then I thought? And what about Shawn?"  
  
"Calm down, Fancy Face," Bo assured her. "Our sons are both strong. They won't give up without a good fight."  
  
John and Marlena ran in right as Bo said that. John looked slightly jealous for a minute, knowing that JT was in fact his son. Marlena nudged him with her elbow and he realized that he was being a mite selfish.  
  
"Bo, Hope!" Marlena exclaimed as she ran up to them. John rushed to his daughter, who was quick to jump up and brace her arms around her neck. "How are they?" Marlena asked.  
  
"No word yet," Hope replied. She sighed with frustration. Bo rubbed her back as a gesture of understanding. She gave him a weak smile.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Brady?" a doctor's voice came from behind. They turned, and saw it was Craig Wesley. "I have news regarding your son."  
  
Belle and John joined Bo, Hope, and Marlena in front of Craig.  
  
"Which son?" Bo asked.  
  
"JT. Why, is Shawn here too?"  
  
"Yes, he got here about five or ten minutes after JT did."  
  
"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that. Anyway, we treated him for smoke inhalation. He's one lucky kid, the most of what was wrong with him was being frightened."  
  
Hope, Bo, and John all breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Belle noticed her father doing so, but she didn't give it much thought.  
  
"Can we see him?"  
  
"Of course. We're getting ready to release him."  
  
"You're sure that smoke inhalation at his young age won't cause any permanent damage?"  
  
"No, it won't. I would thank the firemen for saving him when they did, he is one lucky little guy." With that Craig walked away.  
  
"Shawn saved him," Hope whispered through her tears. Bo nodded, tears forming in his eyes too.  
  
"Well, come on, Fancy Face, let's go see our son," Bo said, pushing away the tears. Hope nodded and John looked on jealously. Bo turned to Marlena. "Will you let us know if word comes about Shawn?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
At that exact moment Lexie walked out. "Actually," she said to Bo and Hope.  
  
"I have news about him right now."  
  
Hope and Bo immediately turned around and approached Lexie. "Well?" Bo asked, not wanting to wait any longer.  
  
"He took a nasty hit to the head, and we also treated him for smoke inhalation. The worst of his injuries is his left arm, which is burned to the second degree. It should recover nicely. I'm slightly worried about his head injury, we'll have to wait until the test results are in, but I don't think it is too serious. In fact, I think that once he wakes up, he'll be fine."  
  
"Perfectly fine?" Hope smiled.  
  
"Well, with one hell of a headache, but that'll go away in a couple of days.  
  
I haven't gotten the results yet, so that's not confirmed. I'll let you know as soon as they're in."  
  
"Oh, that's great! Thank you!"  
  
"Now, the real question. Who do we go see first?" Bo asked with a huge smile on his face.  
  
"Well, Shawn's still unconscious. Let's go see JT and calm him down."  
  
Belle prayed a prayer of thanks as she sat down. "Now, Lord, be with ME as I work up the nerve to tell Shawn."  
  
"Tell Shawn what, dear?" Marlena asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Belle stammered. Marlena just smiled. She knew. 


	3. Part Three

Part Three  
  
Hope and Bo silently walked into Shawn's room. Marlena and John were watching JT, who had just been released, because he was a bit fussy. Hope sat him in her lap as she sat in a chair next to Shawn's bed. He was still unconscious. The steady beat of his heart on the monitor was the only sound in the room for a moment as Bo sat down on the opposite side of the bed of Hope. They looked at Shawn and then at each other.  
  
"Well, all that's missing here is for him to wake up," Hope commented softly.  
  
"Lexie hasn't gotten those results back."  
  
"Don't say it, Bo! He'll be fine as soon as he wakes up, you just wait and see. Who was it that told me not half an hour ago how strong he was?"  
  
"I know, I know," Bo smiled. "But if there is bad news that comes with that, we have to be prepared for it."  
  
Suddenly a soft moan was heard coming from Shawn. His parents looked at him happily as he opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw them.  
  
"Hi," Hope said, almost in a laugh. "How do ya feel?"  
  
"My head hurts like none other, and so does my arm..."  
  
Shawn's eyes widened suddenly and he paled. "JT--  
  
"He's fine," Bo quickly assured him. "Thanks to you."  
  
"I'm so proud of you," Hope beamed. "My son the hero."  
  
"OUR son."  
  
"Right."  
  
"So, he is just fine," Shawn restated, not totally convinced.  
  
"Yes. He just got released, would you quit worrying? You should concentrate on yourself."  
  
"Yeah, could you get the doc to dose me up on tons of painkillers?"  
  
"Of course," Bo laughed. "I think Belle's a bit anxious to see you."  
  
"She's probably pissed."  
  
"Why?" Hope asked, confused.  
  
"The last thing I heard before waking up here is her screaming at me not to go into the building."  
  
"Well, if you hadn't saved your brother's life, then I would be pissed right now too, but it's hard to stay mad at you. No, she was really worried about you. In fact, she's the one who rode in the ambulance with you over here."  
  
"Hmmm."  
  
"We'll go get her," Hope winked at Bo, who got the hint and they left.  
  
A couple of minutes later, Belle walked in. She smiled to see he was awake. Bo and Hope must have "forgotten" to mention that part.  
  
"Hi," she whispered.  
  
"Hi," he said.  
  
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I have some things to tell you, so listen up and listen good." She began to fidget nervously. "First of all, don't EVER scare me like that EVER again, do you hear me?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't do it to scare you."  
  
"I know," she smiled. "For that you are forgiven. And, well, okay, here's the thing. When the doctors were still working on you and we hadn't gotten word yet on whether or not you were okay or were going to be okay or whatever..."  
  
"Belle? What are you rambling about?"  
  
"Okay, just listen. During that time, I was so scared. I was in the ambulance with you-"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Okay, but JUST LISTEN! Okay, when we were waiting for word on you, I was praying. I prayed that you would be okay. ;And I told God that if you would just be okay, then I would tell you."  
  
She paused, expecting him to say something. He said nothing, but waited for her to continue.  
  
"I promised Him that I would tell you how I felt--feel--about you. Okay, here goes. Oh, gosh, this is nerve-wracking. Okay, I--I--um...I like you."  
  
"Well we ARE best friends," Shawn chuckled.  
  
"NO!! I mean, I don't just like you, I LIKE you."  
  
"Oooooooh," Shawn said. Belle didn't know what to make of that.  
  
"So that's what I have to tell you," she said. "Now I should let you go, I'm sure you have one heck of a headache, and your arm is probably bothering you too. So I should just go."  
  
She got up to go to the door. Luckily she was sitting on his right side so he could grab her arm.  
  
"No, please, wait. Belle, I'm glad you told me that."  
  
"You're GLAD? You're glad. Well that's great."  
  
"No, I mean, I feel the same way."  
  
Belle paused. What had he just said? 


	4. Part Four

Part Four  
  
"What?" Belle stumbled. She hadn't expected him to say that he felt the same way as her.  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not sure if I heard RIGHT."  
  
"Well then tell me what you heard, and I'll tell you if you got it right."  
  
"I thought I heard you say you liked me too."  
  
"I did say that."  
  
"See, I'm going crazy! What? Oh! Oh. Well that's awesome."  
  
"So...do you wanna go out sometime?"  
  
"Like, on a date?"  
  
Shawn laughed. "No, Belle, on a friendly dinner. Of course a date!!"  
  
"Well, sure. When?"  
  
"Well, I'm hoping to get out here in the next hour or two..."  
  
A nurse laughed as she entered. "Actually," she said when she had composed herself. "We're keeping you overnight for observation. Good news, I have some heavy-duty painkillers here for ya."  
  
"Oh, that's good to know," Shawn said thankfully. "My head and arm are killing me."  
  
"Really? You seemed fine just a minute ago," Belle smiled.  
  
"For you, I can endure anything without complaint. But seriously, it does hurt a lot."  
  
"Yeah, you got hit by a beam, so I heard," the nurse said. She started injecting the painkillers into his IV. "This is going to knock you out for a good couple hours."  
  
"Oh goodie."  
  
"I'll come back, later," Belle said. She hesitated, but then gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her as she walked to the door, but he was soon out.  
  
**********  
  
A couple of hours later, Belle walked back into the hospital room, not knowing whether to expect him awake or not. Bo and Hope had taken JT home about an hour ago, but they told her they would come back in a couple of hours.  
  
Shawn was still out, so Belle just sat down in the chair next to him. She looked over at him and remembered seeing him on the gurney in the ambulance. She knew how lucky he was. Suddenly overcome, because of how overwhelmingly emotional this whole day had been, she started crying. She didn't really know why except to guess that it was because of how she had ignored her emotions until this very moment. She knew what could have happened.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" a groggy voice came from the bed. Belle looked up to see Shawn just waking up. Even in his drugged state, he looked concerned.  
  
"Shawn, this day has just been...an emotional day, even though I've completely ignored my emotions. I just keep thinking what could have happened to you..."  
  
"Hey, don't go there," Shawn said, grabbing her arm. "I'm fine. There's NO need to go on about what might have been."  
  
"I know, but I just got caught up in my emotions, and...I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. Okay? Please, don't apologize for how you feel. It's how you feel."  
  
"All right. You're so good to me."  
  
"Wouldn't have it any other way." 


	5. Part Five

Part Five  
  
It had been two weeks since Shawn was released from the hospital. The whole Brady family---and the town of Salem, for that matter-- had hailed Shawn a hero, but he would have nothing of it. "I did what, hopefully, any other brother or sister would have done," he had said. "All the credit goes to the firemen for getting everybody out alive."  
  
By this time, Marlena and Hope made a bet about how long it would be until Belle and Shawn's first date.  
  
The first couple of days, Shawn slept off the enormous amount of painkillers he was having to take for his head and for his arm. But after the pain started to subside on its own, Shawn finally officially asked Belle on a date.  
  
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Marlena squealed as she prepared her camera. Shawn was due any moment. John and Brady sat at the table discussing which of them got to give Shawn the "talk" about dating Belle.  
  
The doorbell rang. Marlena rushed to the door, but then opened slowly and casually. She was slightly surprised to see Hope standing behind Shawn, who looked a bit embarrassed.  
  
"She wants to take a picture of me and Belle," Shawn explained as he and Hope entered. Marlena laughed and showed Hope her camera. Brady and John simultaneously stood up and walked over to Shawn.  
  
"Have her home NO LATER than eleven," John started, without so much as a greeting.  
  
"If she comes home crying, think PAIN," Brady warned.  
  
"If she comes home more than ten minutes late, your dating privileges with her will be provoked."  
  
"If you pressure her into doing anything that she doesn't want you to do, then your head will be mounted on the wall in my bedroom."  
  
"If you give her more than just a peck when you drop her off, I will not allow her to see you ever again."  
  
"Daddy! Brady!" Belle screeched as she came out of her bedroom. "Stop it!"  
  
She turned to Shawn as she came down the stairs. "Sorry about that."  
  
"No problem, you're worth it."  
  
John broke out into a smile. "Have fun kids. Now, I assume that you two are going to Tuscany, since you're both decked out in fancy clothes."  
  
"Tuscany it is," Shawn beamed. He smiled at Belle. "Shall we go?" He offered his arm.  
  
"Nope," Marlena interrupted. âE?Picture time."  
  
"Mom," Belle whined. "Stop embarrassing me!"  
  
"It's okay, we can be embarrassed together. See that woman over there? Doesn't she remind you a lot of MY mother?"  
  
Belle grinned. "Our mothers are dorks."  
  
After the pictures had been taken, Shawn and Belle were off to Tuscany.  
  
Before Hope left the Penthouse, she turned to Marlena. "By the way," she told Marlena, "You owe me ten dollars." 


	6. Part Six

Part Six  
  
Belle and Shawn had been an officially a couple for nearly two months, and Marlena had lost her second bet to Hope. Neither Shawn nor Belle had ever been happier in their lives.  
  
One night, they sat in the porch swing in Shawn's backyard, staring up at the stars.  
  
"Look, Belle, a shooting star! Quick, make a wish!" Shawn told Belle as he pointed into the depths of the sky.  
  
Belle closed her eyes and made a silent wish. She then opened her eyes and smiled at Shawn.  
  
"What did you wish for?"  
  
"I can't tell you until it's already come true. Did you make one?"  
  
"No. My wish already came true."  
  
"You're too sweet." With that, Belle gave him a quick kiss.  
  
"Hey, my parents just left, let's go inside!" Shawn excitedly took Belle by the hand and led her inside.  
  
He sat her down on the couch. "I'm so glad we're alone finally."  
  
Belle chuckled. "Shawn, we were alone outside."  
  
"No, I mean completely alone, with the house to ourselves. I got something for you." Shawn stood up and went to the entertainment center, where he brought out a present he had hidden.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Not to be too corny or whipped or whatever, but we've been together for exactly two months, and I decided to get you a little something. It's not much, it didn't even cost me very much, but I thought you'd like it."  
  
Belle unwrapped the present and saw a pretty bracelet in the box. "Shawn, it's beautiful."  
  
"Like I said, it's not much-"  
  
"No, it doesn't have to be."  
  
"Well, it's not like one of those expensive bracelets."  
  
"It's perfect. I love it. Thank you." Belle took it out and put it on her wrist. Then she gave him a kiss again. "You're a wonderful boyfriend, you know that?"  
  
Shawn smiled sheepishly. "I once heard this quote that a knight is only as good as the woman riding next to him."  
  
"I like that." 


	7. Part Seven

Part Seven  
  
It was now Belle and Shawn's six month anniversary, and this time Hope had lost a bet to Marlena. In light of their six-month anniversary, Belle and Shawn went to Tuscany. While waiting for their dinner, their song, "Amazed" by LoneStar came on and they got up and joined the other people on the dance floor.  
  
Every time our eyes meet  
  
This feeling inside me  
  
Is almost more than I can take  
  
Baby when you touch me  
  
I can feel how much you love me  
  
And it just blows me away  
  
I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
  
I can hear your thoughts  
  
I can see your dreams  
  
I don't know how you do what you do  
  
I'm so in love with you  
  
It just keeps getting better  
  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
  
With you by my side  
  
Forever and ever  
  
Every little thing that you do  
  
Baby I'm amazed by you  
  
The smell of your skin  
  
The taste of your kiss  
  
The way you whisper in the dark  
  
Your hair all around me  
  
Baby you surround me  
  
Touch every place in my heart  
  
Oh it feels like the first time  
  
Every time  
  
I wanna spend the whole night  
  
In your arms  
  
I don't know how you do what you do  
  
I'm so in love with you  
  
It just keeps getting better  
  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
  
With you by my side  
  
Forever and ever  
  
Every little thing that you do  
  
Baby I'm amazed by you  
  
  
  
When the dinner was over, Shawn took Belle back to her house. Brady was out on a date with a girl named Mara, and John and Marlena had gone to the Carvers for the evening. As they entered the penthouse, Shawn embraced Belle from behind her.  
  
She turned and kissed him. As he kissed her back, they fell back to the couch. They continued to make out until the passion had risen so much that they were began to take their clothes off.  
  
"Shawn, no, wait," Belle stopped before things went too far. "I'm not ready for this, and I don't think you are, either."  
  
Shawn sat up. "You're probably right. I mean, it's only been six months. Sex is, well, should be, a forever thing. Besides, I don't have a condom or anything."  
  
"Yeah. Listen, I just want to wait until I'm married, and I think we're strong enough in our relationship that neither of us thinks we need to have sex."  
  
"Oh, I completely agree with you."  
  
"I mean, I believe that if you are ready to have sex, you are ready for what else comes with it. And I am NOT ready for a child."  
  
"You don't have to convince me, Belle, I completely agree with you. I'm not one of those guys who's so sex-driven. I know that sex is something that should be saved for when a full commitment has been made, and I'm not ready for it just as much as you."  
  
"You really are great, you know that?"  
  
"Oh, you're so good to my ego."  
  
Belle laughed. "Well that ego of yours had better not get too big. I might just have to start insulting you."  
  
"Oh, we couldn't have that, could we?"  
  
"Nope. I like this relationship the way it is; we shouldn't change it. At least not right now." 


	8. Part Eight

Part Eight  
  
  
  
It was graduation day. Shawn and Belle had been together for almost two years, and their relationship was stronger than ever. They were pretty excited to graduate. When the ceremony was over and they had officially graduated, they went to Shawn's house, where a graduation for the both of them was being held.  
  
Shawn was anxious. He was planning on taking Belle to Tuscany tonight. She already knew that. But what she didn't know was that he was planning on proposing to her. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he couldn't wait for the moment he asked. He couldn't stand waiting to see her reaction.  
  
They had just finished dinner when Shawn took the ring box out of his jacket-pocket and got down on his knees. Belle looked fairly bewildered. Shawn smiled to himself.  
  
"Isabella Black, you would make me the happiest man in the WORLD if you would marry me."  
  
~~~~ Note: I know it's REALLY short, sorry about that! But since it's really short I'm going to put the next chapter up IMMEDIATELY. 


	9. Part Nine

Part Nine  
  
Belle looked at Shawn, shell-shocked. She hadn't expected Shawn to propose at all. In fact, it was the last thing she thought would have happened.  
  
"Shawn--" she started. But she didn't know what to say. "You realize what this means?"  
  
"That I want to spend the rest of my life with you? Of course I do."  
  
"Shawn...do you really know what you want out of your life?"  
  
Shawn looked at her, confused. "Of course I do. I have it all figured out."  
  
"And I'm in that whole plan, aren't I?"  
  
"Well, I did just propose, didn't I?"  
  
"Oh, Shawn. We're going off to college. Our lives might take different turns."  
  
"We don't have to get married right away. And if we're engaged, wouldn't we make a point to have time for each other?"  
  
"You might know what you want out of your future, Shawn. But I don't. I know that we've been together for two wonderful years, and that I love you. But I don't know if I'm ready to marry you. I have nothing about my future figured out. I think it's too soon for us to make that big of a commitment."  
  
"So you're saying no?" Shawn asked, discouraged.  
  
"I love you, Shawn, but I'm not ready to say that I will marry you."  
  
Shawn was silent as he drove her home. Belle didn't know what he was thinking. She knew she had probably hurt him by saying no, but she also knew she would have hurt him more in the long run if she had accepted and then later on decided she couldn't marry him.  
  
"Shawn?" Belle asked timidly. "Talk to me."  
  
"Well, here we are. Your penthouse. Good night Belle."  
  
"You're not going to walk me up? You always do."  
  
"I should get home, I'm tired."  
  
"No kiss goodnight?"  
  
"Good night Belle." 


	10. Part Ten

Part Ten  
  
Belle felt like she could cry as she hung up the phone. Hope had just called her to tell her that Shawn was going to go to college in California. It had been almost a month since they'd talked to each other. They'd seen each other a lot, though. Every time Belle looked into his eyes, she saw the immense pain she knew she had caused him. She didn't know what to say to him. What could she say to him? That she had changed her mind, that she wanted to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him? She loved him to death and would do anything for him, but she was not ready to marry him. She had no idea what she wanted out of her life. While she couldn't see herself married to anybody but Shawn, she wasn't ready to say that she could marry him or that she would.  
  
The future was unforeseen.  
  
She wanted to call him. She wanted to talk him into staying. They had had numerous conversations about how they would be able to keep their relationship since they were both going to SU. Now she wasn't even sure if they still counted as "together" anymore. She wanted to remind him how much she loved him, but she knew better than to do that. Instead, she got into her car and drove to the Brady Pub, where everyone was going to say good- bye to Shawn. His plane was leaving that afternoon and she had JUST found out. She couldn't believe no one had told her. If she had let herself think too much on that one she would have been really angry about that.  
  
As she entered the Pub, she saw Mimi giving Shawn a hug. His luggage was right by the door. He was all ready to leave. Everyone looked as sad as Belle felt, even Shawn.  
  
Shawn was the first to see Belle standing in the doorway. The smile he had just given to Mimi faded and everyone curiously turned to see what he saw.  
  
The room became silent. Belle looked around and then turned her eyes back to Shawn. She moved to approach him. She stood right before him, and they looked into each other's eyes. Everyone else watched on, hopeful that what was about to happen would make Shawn decide to stay. No one knew what had happened between them--not even their parents or best friends.  
  
Belle looked into his eyes. "Shawn, can I talk to you?" she whispered. He just stared back at her, wondering what she was going to stay. "Please don't go," she went on, still in a whisper. "Stay."  
  
She saw the tears forming in his eyes, and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. He continued to look into her eyes. "I can't. I have to go now, my dad's taking me to the airport."  
  
With that, he moved away from her, leaving her there to cry by herself. Mimi rushed over to her to comfort her. She turned and watched Shawn hug Doug and Julie good-bye and then Shawn and Caroline. Then he turned to Hope. She was crying.  
  
"Mom, don't cry. I'll come back for Christmas and summer every year, I promise." Hope nodded and then hugged her son for what she felt like would be the last time. Shawn looked at his dad, and as he grabbed his luggage, gave one last wave good-bye.  
  
Belle looked on as Shawn walked out the door--and out of her life. She couldn't believe he was gone. She knew he had been accepted to a university in California, but she never thought that if they broke up, he would go. But he had gone.  
  
Shawn sat in the car as his dad started up the car.  
  
"You sure you wanna go, son?" Bo asked as he pulled away.  
  
Shawn looked at his dad, not really sure of anything. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."  
  
"Gonna miss you." Shawn hadn't seen Bo look so sad in a long time.  
  
"I'll miss you and Mom and JT too. And a lot of other people."  
  
"What happened between you and Belle?"  
  
"We broke up."  
  
"Yeah, but what happened? Why did you break up?"  
  
"Let's just say we both wanted different things, and it wasn't negotiable."  
  
TBC 


	11. Part Eleven

Part Eleven  
  
Two years went by and Shawn and Belle, both living in separate states leading different lives, were able to get over each other and move on. Shawn started dating a girl named Jessica. She was a very pretty, intelligent, and kind person and Shawn fell in love with her. She also fell in love with him and they ended up getting engaged.  
  
Belle concentrated completely on her career as an interior designer. She was well on her way to getting her Master's and she was spending all of her free time with a guy named Andrew. Andrew, who went by Drew, was really cute and extremely nice and outgoing, just like her. She rarely thought of Shawn at all, even when she ran into Bo or Hope.  
  
One day, a card came for Brady from Shawn. Since Belle and Brady were sharing an apartment, Belle saw the card first. She didn't open it, since it wasn't addressed to her, but she noticed the fancy envelope. When Brady got home and opened it, she learned it was an invitation to Shawn's wedding.  
  
"Oh," she said. She remembered how he had once proposed to her. She suddenly wondered what might have happened if she had said yes. "Are you gonna go?"  
  
"Yeah, probably," Brady replied. "It's in a few months. Shawn is my cousin."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So what did happen between you two? I never did find out."  
  
Belle took a deep breath. "The day that we graduated from high school, he proposed."  
  
Brady looked shocked. "And you said no?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I wasn't ready for a commitment like that, even with him. I loved him so much, but I couldn't see the future at that point, and I didn't want to hurt him by saying yes and then backing out."  
  
Brady nodded. "Well, everything makes sense now. Do Mom and Dad know?"  
  
Belle shook her head. "Never told anyone. I don't think Shawn has either."  
  
"Ever wonder what might have been?"  
  
"No, not really. What happened, happened, I'm not in love with him anymore, and he's obviously in love with some other girl."  
  
"A one...Jessica Hart."  
  
"Right. There's no point in wondering what might have been."  
  
TBC 


	12. Part Twelve

Part Twelve

Two more years went by. Belle graduated from college and started her career as an interior designer. She and Drew became a lot closer, and it became apparent to everyone that they were falling in love with each other.

That was when Shawn moved back to Salem, his wife with him. Belle wanted to go to the pub to say hello, but for something held her back. Three days after he'd moved back, he showed up at the apartment she was sharing with Brady.

"Shawn!" Belle exclaimed, surprised. "Hey I heard you were back."

"Yeah, I am. I ran into Brady earlier, and he said you guys were rooming together here, so I thought I'd come say hi."

"Oh, right." She stepped aside as he walked in. Neither of them said anything as she shut the door behind them. They hadn't talked to each other in so long, and now things were slightly awkward. "Well I was just sitting outside, do you want to go out on the balcony?" Belle suggested after a minute.

"Sure. It's a nice night outside."

"You want something to drink?"

"A beer would be great."

"All right, go on and get settled out there."

Shawn walked out on the balcony and smiled at the music on the radio. Country music. He and Belle used to listen to it together all the time.

"Okay, here you go," Belle said, joining him on the balcony. She handed him a Bud light and reached for her glass of lemonade. They took a seat on the chairs. "So," Belle said when Shawn didn't speak. "I hear you're married now."

"Yeah, I am. Jessica's great. She's at the pub with my mom right now. They wanted some time to get to know each other."

"Oh. Well I'd love to meet her sometime," Belle said.

"Oh definitely. So tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm an interior designer, and I am with this guy, his name is Drew. He's great."

"That's good to know."

Belle nodded. "So that's my life." There was an awkward pause. "Um, Shawn... I don't know if I have the right to be asking you this, but... when you moved away... well, you did all right, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah. At first it was hard, I missed everyone... especially you... like crazy. But I met Jessica, and she helped me adjust and get over what happened between us, and move on. I couldn't love her more."

"So she knows?" Belle asked, slightly intimidated.

"Yeah, she knows. Don't worry, she doesn't think you're a bitch or anything."

"Good. So you didn't spend that time dwelling on what might have happened between us."

"Nope."

"Good. I'm glad. I used to worry… I mean I felt so bad for hurting you how I did." Inwardly, Belle felt slightly disappointed that Shawn didn't wonder about if they hadn't broken up. She didn't know what she had expected; after all he was in love with someone else and married to her. She knew she loved Drew, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder how things might have been if she hadn't said no to Shawn's proposal. She would be the one he was married to.

She looked up and caught Shawn staring at her. She panicked a little bit, wondering if he could read her mind. "I have to go," Shawn said abruptly. He made a quick move for the door, but Belle grabbed his arm.

"Remember when you stopped me?" Belle asked, remembering back to when he was in the hospital after the fire.

"Yeah, but things were different then. I'm not in love with you, Belle, I'm in love with Jessica. These old feelings... I don't know where they came from."

"Because you've been pushing them aside ever since you left for college."

"No, I dealt with them, got over them. They don't exist anymore, Belle. Even now, looking into YOUR eyes, I still think about how JESSICA is the one I want to be with, how JESSICA is the one who makes me happy. I'm sorry if it hurts to hear me say that, but you sat there and told me not ten minutes ago about this great guy named Drew."

"I do love Drew, okay?" Belle snapped. "But you just have this special place in my heart, and I would hate to see you walk out that door and never come back."

"Hey, I live in Salem again. I would not put up with us not being friends."

"So friends we are. Now give me a hug right this instant."

Shawn laughed and gave Belle a hug. "Gotta go see my wife now."

"Bye." After Shawn left, Belle turned off the radio and then sat down on the couch. A smile crept up on her face. She was happy Shawn was back.

The End

Author's Note: I feel that I should note that the only reason I wrote this fic was to spite the people on an old Shelle board I used to go to. They always FREAKED out if you didn't have Shawn and Belle together happily in the end. Seriously. So I wrote this with the intent of them NOT being together at the end. I'm sorry, but it's the truth.


End file.
